For a World of Stone
by Leaflame
Summary: A little while after the Flare attack, our heroes are all resting in Pallet. But nothing lasts forever. An evil foe has cheated death, and is making it count. Now, they're all plunged headfirst into a fight not only for themselves, but for the ones they love the most, and for the world as they know it. Amourshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Aaand I'm back and better than ever! I've been itching to air this out to you guys, and now I shall! I'm sorry for the lack of one shots that I promised, but I've been eaten up by textbooks for the evil that is exams. Now, shall we begin?**

Chapter 1: Rushing Water

 _In the Sinnoh Region, a few years ago:_

Water filled the ship in a torrential blast. All she could think of was survival. Primal instincts activated, she kicked desperately at the glass panes of her ship. The panes cracked. She punched hard at the them, and they shattered into pieces, blood staining the water red despite her gloves. Almost numb with exhaustion, she kicked up, her gaze trained on the fiery setting sun. Her chest tightening with every breath, she finally felt light hit her face, and a few kicks later, lungfuls of cold, life-giving air. She treaded water to the banks and heaved herself up before collapsing.

A few hours later, Pokemon Hunter J's eyes opened to the moonlight.

 _Present time:_ It had been about a month since the Kalos League and the Flare disaster, and Ash was taking a break. A very slimy, Muk-covered break.

After Charizard had given him a very loving Flamethrower followed by being trampled by his 30 Tauros, he had just been taking a breather when he heard a delighted "Muuuuk!" and he was flattened under the dark, heavy, overfriendly mass that was his Muk. Talonflame and Noivern were now betting their skills against the rest of Ash's flying types, and Hawlucha was showing off its machoness to Charizard.

"Man, this feels good," he said, lying flat on his back, letting the wind dry him of Muks' wetness. Pikachu was lying on his chest, a very self-satisfied grin on its face. The only thing that surpassed the size of its grin was the size of its stomach, which currently looked like a beach ball thanks to Clemont and Delia combining culinary forces.

His smile evaporated as soon as he thought of Greninja. He missed his friend more than he cared to admit. He knew that Greninja was out there, doing its duty, but some part of him ached for the time they would battle together again.

Ash looked pensively up at the sky, the sky blue. But any blue looked plain once you looked into Serena's eyes.

* * *

Serena was doing Performance practice, and all she could think of was how the Kalos disaster had shaken them all. Sure, they had seemed okay from the outside, but Ash still called for Greninja in his sleep, and Bonnie would cup her hands into the position that once held Squishy. Zygarde. She had been affected by it, too. Running through those labs... she had seen horrors performed that no on should ever have to suffer. The nights she awoke, screaming as she saw herself as one of the test subjects.

She remembered Ash coming into her room and holding her tight. She thought of those kisses in the moonlight that filtered the guest room's window, her fitful sleep even then.

So much had changed. They were all reeling from what the last few months had brought them, carrying them along like rushing water. Olympia's prophecy. Frogadier evolving. Alain. Ash-Greninja. Losing to Wulfric and Sawyer. Watching Ash break apart before her. He bounced back, though. The LC, and all their amazing new friends. Kissing Ash. The League, followed by Lysandre's insane and murderous plot. And now, peace. Actual peace, not the tense kind that warned of a storm.

"Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, let's go!" she called, getting up from her water break.

Little did she know how soon that peace would be broken.

* * *

Cynthia's phone rang. The Sinnoh Champion picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Cynthia?" came an anxious voice. A voice that almost never sounded anxious.

"Flint?"

"Listen, we have a problem. We need to call a meeting, and we need to do it now. I don't know how, but J's alive. And if you thought she'd been bad before... well, she's a nightmare now," Flint said.

At that split second, a Hyperbeam shattered the glass of Cynthia's windows, the glass tinkling like fallen rain.

 **Author's Note: Aaand I'm back! Forgive me if this chapter was short, but it's the first, and I didn't want to make it too long. Hopefully this will satisfy you until next week, where this here shall be my lone relief from my exams. I will do my best to update, though. The second reason why this chapter is short is because I'm down with a cold, and I must rest at my parent's insistance.**

 **Now, for the breakdown. All our heroes are still reeling from the Flare attack, and Pokemon Hunter J is alive. Yes, she is. I am deviating from the anime slightly, so that should fix any discrepancies. Things heated up fast in this chapter, and they will be throughout. This one won't cross 25 chappies. Now, before I go, a big thank you to all my old readers, and a warm welcome to the new. See you on Monday!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	2. Broken Glass

**I know, I know, second chappie and delayed! But I had an extremely important exam the day after, so I couldn't update. But here we are today, so shall we begin?**

Chapter 2: Broken Glass

For a split second, the shards looked eerily beautiful, lit by the incoming Hyperbeam. Then they flew across the room, one burying itself into Cynthia's arm. She backed away with a hiss of pain, the glass now stained red. Quickly, she ducked under a large table, the shadows wide enough for her to be hidden but close enough to the windows for a good view.

A large metal hovercraft floated about twenty yards away, large and forbidding. But it wasn't the sight of the craft that made Cynthia's grey eyes widen in shock and fear.

A gigantic Salamence hovered about ten feet off the ground, huge and terrifying. Pokemon Hunter J stood on its back, her gray-blue hair flashing in the light, her dark glasses hiding steel blue eyes that Cynthia knew could pierce through concrete. She wore her traditional dark coat and gloves, her ray gun attached to her forearm.

For a minute Cynthia wondered if she was dreaming, but she wasn't. J had somehow survived, and she was back, and judging by the size and technology of her ship, better than ever.

Cynthia knew in an instant that even if she fought as hard and as bitterly as she could, she wasn't going to win. There were simply too many of them, and she couldn't hope to beat the sheer numbers that were probably hidden away in that floating monstrosity.

J had dismounted from her Salamence and was now walking towards Cynthia's Unovan home.

The blonde Champion turned, checked for every single one of her Pokeballs, fingered the Keystone that hung from her belt and raced out of the front door.

"Garchomp!" she called. Her best friend burst out of its Pokeball.

"My friend, we must leave," she whispered, and she scrambled onto Garchomps' back, and they soared into the sky, flying fast to make sure that they weren't followed, heading for Kalos.

Ash and Clemont were returning from training when Professor Oak caught them halfway towards home, his face unusually grave.

"Ash, Clemont, there's someone on the phone for you," he told them, for once sparing them of a haiku, and a little more disturbingly, his normal blithe tone.

Exchanging puzzled glances, they made their way towards the lab, and stepped into a room where a large screen showed a pleasantly familiar face. Except it was so bloody and bruised and battered it was barely recognizable.

Ash's breath caught in his throat. Her blonde hair mussed, her face and arms covered with scratches and various injuries, stood Cynthia.

"Cynthia!" he gasped, staring in absolute horror at the screen. "What happened to you?"

"Hello, there, Ash!" Cynthia said, squeezing out a smile for him.

"What happened to you?" demanded, to their surprise, Diantha, her face now occupying a corner of the screen.

Professor Sycamore appeared in another corner, his bright gray eyes worried.

Familiar faces poured into the screen, including Flint, Aria, and Alder.

"Ash, I'm afraid that you are going to have to return to Kalos at once," Cynthia said, fear creeping into her silver-grey eyes.

Ash felt his body turn stiff. Anything that brought fear into the Sinnoh Champion's eyes meant that it was something bad. And the fact that she was addressing him alone, not everyone present in the room disconcerted him even more.

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't know how, but Pokemon Hunter J is alive, and according to news I received when I reached Kalos, if you thought she was bad before, well, she's far, far worse now. Even though I've tried to evade her, she beat me to it. She's taken almost every Pokemon in the Lumiose Wetlands captive, including your Goodra," Cynthia said grimly.

When you were trying to hurry, Professor Sycamore noted, almost everything seemed to slow down. The choppers of his helicopter were carrying him to a secret conference in the middle of the forest, where a few important people had gathered to discuss the oncoming threat.

He looked out of the window, trying his best to kill some time, but he was just too tense. Anyone who had the guts to attack Cynthia directly had to be extremely strong. It didn't help matters that the attacker in this case was J.

He had heard of her even in the Kalos region, of her ability to snatch Pokemon clean out of their homes in an instant; her gun that turned them into stone in a beam of light, her widespread but near invisible spy network, her dominance in the black market, which sold everything from perfume to Pokemon. The very thought of selling someone's friend as a commodity made him sick, and what made him even sicker was that people actually enjoyed doing it, and shamelessly gained money from it, not caring for the lives that they had ripped apart for some cash.

He absentmindedly fingered the Keystone in his pocket, tense for Garchomp. The conference was to be conducted in the utmost secrecy, but that didn't ease his nerves much, somehow. There was a very real chance that his lab would be a target, and leaving it for any period of time made him edgy.

But, on the bright side, he thought, smiling briefly to himself, plenty of pretty girls to flirt with later.

That was when he heard the slipping of footsteps under him, along with the jarring realization that he wasn't alone on the chopper.

 **Author's Note: Hello there! I've definitely missed you, and I've tried to make it up to you by making it a real shocker of a chappie. This chapter is again the preliminary act before the main scenario hits the stage, but what's a good preliminary without a few fireworks to it? What I've tried to do with this chappie is to express the horror of the situation not through a direct scene, but through other people's points of view and their experiences instead of our heroes'. Cynthia and Prof. Sycamore are first-timers, so tell me how that turned out.**

 **Now, before I go, a big, heartfelt thank-you to all my readers, and a huge shoutout to Amourshiper35, Fire4Heaven, Dragon's Blaze, YellowFlashCannon, Strawhat Quilava, and 3 guests for reviewing. See you all on Monday!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	3. For Safety's Sake

**AAAND I'm back! I know, two chapters in and a two-week break! There's no excusing that, so I'm very, very sorry. To make it up to you, I'll be posting over the course of the next week to catch up. We just started school, and I'm weighed down. But, that's no excuse. You guys have stick by me, and it's high time I do the same. Chapter 4 will be out as soon as possible. Anytime this week. Now, shall we begin?**

Chapter 3: For Safety's Sake

Professor Sycamore lay on the ground, his ear pressed to the ground. He could hear voices in the hold of the chopper. So far, he had managed to discern that there were 3 of them, and they were J's spies. They had been gloating about how they had gotten past the defences of 'that weak, bow-legged, four-eyed goody-goody Kalos professor'.

Sycamore tensed. There was simply no way that this helicopter was going to be able to land at the conference spot without destroying their plans.

He made his way to the cockpit, and whispered some explicit instructions into the pilot's ears. With a few quick taps, the chopper was set on autopilot, headed to do a water landing in a nearby coastal airport.

His heart thudding in his ears, Professor Sycamore called Officer Jenny.

"Officer Jenny?"

"Yes? Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice growing concerned as she heard the urgency in the professor's voice.

"Very much so. I'm afraid your airport shall be welcoming some rather unwelcome guests," he murmured in a low voice.

He quickly explained their situation to her.

The greenette on the other side scowled.

"Rest assured, Professor, our guests will receive a very special welcome," she said, grinning.

"Marvelous! My sincerest thanks, Jenny. Over and out!" Sycamore said.

The pilot and the professor strapped on parachute gear. The wind seemed to sing a warning. Professor Sycamore wrenched the door open. The forest was green beneath them, the sky pale blue. The wind roared even louder than his heart and the blood rushing through his head.

He took a deep breath and jumped.

As soon as the final syllable dropped from Cynthia's lips, the temperature of the room seemed to drop by a few degrees.

"WHAT!? No!" Ash gasped, as the horror of what J had done sank into his skin. Goodra was gone. Kidnapped, along with countless other Pokemon to be sent for lab testing, or to be sold on the black market. The very thought of that made him feel sick. The idea of it happening to Goodra and all the other wetland Pokemon sickened him even more.

Clemont and Bonnie both looked horrified.

"It can't be!" Serena whispered.

Their shock and horror was mirrored on everyone else's faces. Finally, Ash straightened up.

"She's not gonna get away with this," he whispered, his eyes blazing. "We'll take the first flight back, Cynthia."

The next few hours were a whirl of packing, hurried goodbyes, quick briefs, and tense faces. Finally, everything was done. They were due to leave in the next thirty minutes. Everything was packed and ready. Nothing more was pending.

"Ash?" Serena asked.

Her boyfriend looked at her, his eyes dark with worry. Despite all the worry, Serena still felt inordinately happy at being able to call Ash her boyfriend.

"Yeah?"

"Do you wanna sit down for a bit? Talk?" she asked.

He seemed to sag in front of her. "Actually, there's something I wanna ask you, too," he said, smiling ruefully. "How does outside sound?"

A few minutes later, they were sitting on the banks of the lake that was so close to Pallet. They would hit the airport directly from there, having brought their bags with them, and a few, quiet minutes later, Ash turned to face his girlfriend.

"Serena?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"I wanna ask you something. Instead of going to Kalos, would you mind staying here? In Kanto?"

The smile evaporated from her face. She looked away from him. He felt his heart sink painfully into his stomach.

"Why are you asking me that?" she asked.

"Because… Man, I'm freaked. J was bad enough before, but capturing a whole wetland full of Pokemon? In one fell swoop? Serena, this is the worst that she's ever been. If something happened to you, I-

He never finished his sentence as the resounding sound of a slap echoed across the lake.

She was looking at him, her blue eyes blazing, fury written all over her face. Despite that, when she spoke her voice was unnaturally calm. Somehow, he would have vastly preferred it if she had lost it and yelled at him.

"Do you have any idea of how I would live with myself if you didn't come back?" she asked, in that frighteningly calm voice. He couldn't say a word back.

She kept speaking.

"If you went out there, and if something happened to you, and I lost you knowing that while you threw your life away while I stayed back here? Ash, do you think I would ever forgive myself if that happened? I love you, and I wanna be by your side, because that's what true friends do. Even lovers. And the worst thing you could possibly do to me is to keep me back here while you go out and fight!" she finished, her eyes staring at his. She was fighting tears.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have asked that. I'm just worried, that's all. I deserved that slap. Forgive me?" he asked, extending his hand out towards her. She looked down at it, and for a single moment he was terrified that she wouldn't take it.

He breathed out when her fingers wrapped around his. He looked up at her face, and somehow he knew that no matter what, she would fight by his side, and they would win. Man, how had he been dumb enough to ask that she stay back? They could do this. The sight of her made him sure of it. That he would fight as hard as he possibly could. And there was another feeling, one that whispered a truth that he couldn't deny; he not only needed her by his side, he _wanted_ her.

But he saw the apprehension in her eyes, the fear that he would still try and protect her in a way she despised, that he would shut her out.

He leaned up and kissed her. It wasn't a soft, comforting kiss. Not the kind of kiss one would expect at a lake by sundown. It wasn't a cliché' movie kiss that Serena had dreamed about. It was much better. It was a hard, fierce kiss, that told her all he could've said in the most clear way possible. His hand slid up her back, one hand cupping her head so he could kiss her harder.

He felt a stab of disappointment when he pulled away.

"We fight together now," he whispered softly.

 **Author's Note: Welcome back! It's good to be back. So, Professor Sycamore makes a daring escape, headed to who knows where. Our heroes are racing back to Kalos, and as fast as possible. The last scene between Ash and Serena was very important, not only to the story but also to me. It showed a more vulnerable side to Ash, and it tackled a problem that many, many couples face. Some can't weather it. Some, like these two, conquer it.**

 **Now, before I go on a decidedly short leave, my sincerest apologies to all my readers, and a sincere thanks for your support thus far. To all my reviewers: Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava and 2 guests. I'll see you all soon!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	4. Forest Plans

**Aaand I'm back as promised! This chapter is pretty muvh where J will make a formal appearance. Our heroes are going to meet her for the very first time, so shall we begin?**

Chapter 4: Forest Plans

A few tree branches and scratches later, Sycamore found himself on forest ground. Tapping on his phone, quickly and quietly, he found he wasn't too far away from the conference spot.

It would be even less with flight. "Garchomp, I need a hand!" he muttered, tossing out his best friend's Pokeball.

Garchomp appeared in a flash of light, and proceeded to give her trainer a rather scratchy hug.

"Garrrr," it rumbled.

"We have a long way to go, Garchomp," he murmured. Professor Sycamore realized with a jolt that he wasn't so worried about the whole J threat because of himself. He feared for Garchomp, and what would happen if…

He shuddered inwardly. No need to think about it as yet. The marker could be seen from above ground only. Quickly, he scrambled onto Garchomp's shoulders and soared into the air, keeping close to the treeline. The marker would be a large oak, they had said, with one red glass leaf positioned where he could see it. There would be one hidden in the tree for each attendant, and to get in, they had to throw the leaf into a certain slot.

He was fairly sure he was the last.

Suddenly, he felt Garchomp tense imperceptibly under him, and let out a low rumble. He glanced down, and saw a glint of red. He flew a little closer, and inspected the leaves. Oak. There was a single red leaf, hugging the branch. He reached to touch it. It felt smooth, but it had been excellently carved. Without touching it, there was no way one would've realized that it was glass.

He landed at the base of the great oak. The tree was old and gnarled, covered with rough imperfections.

He ran his hands over the oak, feeling for unnatural edges. His hand grazed a thin slash. The edges were smooth, freshly cut. Hoping and praying that he had picked the right slot, he dropped the leaf through.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the ground opened like a huge maw under him and he was pulled into the darkness below.

A few crashes, bumps and bounces later, he tumbled into a clean, well-lit room that smelled pleasantly of forest. The walls were pale mahogany, everything in shades of brown and white.

A large, white table stood on the far right. There were three small steps leading down to few large white couches and armchairs, with a big screen.

Scattered all around this room were the people Sycamore had gone to so much effort to meet. He could see Alder's wild orange hair, Cynthia's flowing blonde tresses, Steven's bright blue eyes, Lance's wild pink spikes. The Professors were present too, along with a few notable Elite Four members.

Diantha, he noticed, was trying to suppress her laughter, along with everyone in the room. Alder, Steven and Aaron, he noticed, were flat-out in stitches.

"Cynthia, I'm all for marvellous entries, but wasn't that a little too much?" he asked, as he tried to stand up and brush leaves off of himself.

"You were the last one here," Cynthia commented, smiling mischievously.

"Actually, there was a bit of an emergency. I had to deal with it," he told them, hearing the grimness settle into his voice.

The laughter in the room died instantly. Laughs were replaced by confused and worried frowns.

"Emergency?" Diantha asked, her voice crisp. "Of what kind?"

Sycamore took a deep breath and plunged into his story.

"So there were spies _inside_ the chopper? The one we sent for you?" Lance asked incredulously.

"Three of them. Hopefully they're locked away in a jail cell now," Sycamore said wearily, flopping down onto an armchair, only to be given a rather friendly pat (read: whack) on the back by Alder. "It was a stroke of genius, jumping ship like that," he said.

"J's spy network is growing," Cynthia commented. The screen flashed on. It showed a map of the world, and a myriad red lines crisscrossing one another. They all originated from a bunch of points, arcing over and then landing at others.

"They never stay in one place, and they're often the last person you'd expect," Diantha said, reaching out and tapping one of the red dots on the screen. Multiple pictures appeared, each of completely normal-looking people.

"Most of her spies are adults, as she can't win any trainer's favour in any way, but you do come across a few who have been promised protection or whose loved ones have been threatened," Professor Juniper said. "One such girl. Her name is Kyrie. She came to me, desperate, because the choice for her had been between coughing up her own Pokemon or giving up the locations of others. Kyrie now lives under a disguise, the original believed to be dead," Juniper said grimly.

"So if we know her spy network, we know which Pokemon are to be caught and when," Professor Birch commented, his eyes dark.

"But as you said, it's huge and practically invisible. She's got them acting as guards, cooks, lawyers, the stream is endless! What do you propose we do?" Cynthia asked.

"I have an idea." Aaron said slowly.

"What is it?"

"Like Professor Juniper said, some spies have got to be getting cold feet from this. Let's see if we can help them. Don't forget, many are just nice people who have been brutally threatened into silence. This girl, Kyrie, does she know others? She may be able to help us," he said.

"Kyrie would love to help, she's a lovely girl. But what do you plan to do with them?" Juniper asked.

"Let them play double-agent. J isn't a kind person. Most of her spies don't like her. They'll be holding grudges. If we can offer help and protection, maybe they'll agree," Juniper said.

"That's a brilliant idea, and it can be executed with style and grace, but tell me, can these spies be trusted?" Caitlin queried, looking dubiously around the room.

"Yes. According to Kyrie, J has a lot of the spies' Pokemon captive, and she'll sell them if they place a foot wrong. So that's not an issue. Kyrie is among one of these spies, but her aunt in Kalos is being threatened, so I think her credibility is a sure thing," Juniper said.

"Ash and his friends can come in there. Along with a few of the LC finalists, we can pair them up and send them to sites where J is due to capture her Pokemon. They can stop her there," Sycamore said.

"But there's still the multitude of Pokemon she's got. What of them?"

"I was thinking of that too. We can send a group to infiltrate the aircraft. It'll be risky, but it's the only route I see, other than a direct approach and then it'll be a bloodbath. J's not afraid to kill," Professor Rowan offered.

"True. Let's get this much done first, and then we'll decide our next move. I believe we have a few visits to make to our young spies and trainers," Steven said.

Kyrie was staring into space, looking up at the sky. Professor Juniper had been a godsend. Her caramel hair was now concealed under a wig of aqua hair, her grey-green eyes hidden by coloured contacts.

Life under disguise was easy, but delicate. She had hidden away any of her spy material, but there had been some close shaves. She just hoped and prayed that Grace and Serena were all right.

 **Author's Note: So here is the first of the 2 promised chapters. The second will be out as soon as possible, and I'm aware that it was due last week. But, unfortunately, school and ill health came calling.**

 **That was quite a twist I tossed in there, huh? Kyrie being Serena's cousin. But it adds a whole new definition to the story. It was a slightly tough chapter to write.**

 **But, irrespective, my usual sincere, heartfelt thanks to all my brilliant readers, and another one to the words that Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava, YellowFlashCannon and 1 guest lent me.**

 **See you all soon!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	5. Quick and Swift

**Here we are again, a week later. I've been working hard, and this chapter will hopefully make up for my previous mistakes, because I'm planning to introduce a lot of new elements. I can't wait! Let's go!**

Chapter 6: Quick and Swift

The plane ride to Kalos had gone by surprisingly fast. Clemont had slept through most of it.

He had been training extremely hard. For a long time, after Lumiose City, Clemont had been trying bitterly hard to prove something to himself. That he was worth something.

It had always been Ash and Serena moving ahead, achieving great things. Sometimes he felt completely washed out. He was neither extremely athletic, or the most skilled battler, or the best dancer. What was he? Where did he stand among his friends? Was he just tagging along, bogging them down?

The number if times that mortification had stung him, when he was always the last in a marathon, or when he didn't pay attention and ended up burning the food, or, the absolute worst, when inventions he had spent forever on blew up before him.

Everyone would laugh it off, and joke about it, but they didn't realize just how much it hurt.

Yes, he was a gym leader. Yes, he could give Ash a very hard time in a battle. Yes, he was a brilliant cook.

But what was he the best at? What defined him, made him stand out? Like how Ash's skill and unusual battling style; or Serena's gorgeous performances unique only to her. What stopped him from being just Clemont, Ash's friend, to _Clemont,_ accomplished…

Accomplished what?

That had been what Clemont had been trying to answer.

Endless nights of training had helped take his mind off it. They had helped in innumerable ways, from upping his strength to just taking his mind off things, and most of all, getting to know his Pokemon better.

The question of where he stood had never bothered him until the Kalos disaster. Watching Clembot, his only successful invention besides his Aipom Arm, and his dearest friend, die before him, and knowing that he had been utterly _powerless_ to stop it.

Later, when he had gotten caught up in the vines, and Ash and Alain raced inside the megalith and saved the day. He had never felt so completely useless. Even after, he could tell that Ash had been named the savior of the day, along with Alain.

He wasn't jealous, not in the least. But he had always admired the way how Ash had been so looked up to, so fixed in his position as a star trainer, mentor and friend. He had never let it go to his head.

Clemont wondered how he managed it.

And now there was the threat of Pokemon Hunter J.

As usual, Ash had been the one to be called upon first. Then Serena, then him and Bonnie.

He organized the last of his wires and shut the door of his supply cabinet. His father, often running short of material, used his in a pinch. He tended to mess up the whole cabinet in the process, and doing this easy and mindless job had let him step back and think.

Almost as though he had been on cue, Ash burst into the room almost as soon as Clemont shut the door of his cabinet.

"Clemont, Meyer got more of those awesome Lumiose galettes! You've gotta have some. Come on down, quick!"

And with that, he had hared out of the room.

Clemont sighed, pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind, and, mouth watering at the idea of the galettes, went down.

As soon as the last of the galettes were swallowed, and the crumbs cleaned, and the plates were put away, the doorbell rang.

Meyer opened it. A dishevelled, shockingly familiar girl stood in the door. Long strawberry blonde hair, striking blue eyes.

"Meera? What's wrong?" Ash asked, jumping to his feet.

"J. She's on the next street, robbing a bunch of trainers of their Pokemon. I- we need help. Please!" she said, desperation visible in her eyes.

A minute later, they were all rushing to the spot Meera had described. The scene wasn't good.

The buildings looked battered. Shards of glass decorated the street. Broken concrete littered sidewalks. Four trainers, two of them familiar, were fighting against a woman who had haunted Ash's dreams for a long time.

J stood on the ground, facing the trainers with a group of minions. It was 8 against 4. Ash admired them for keeping up their fight, but they were running out of steam, and fast.

J, on the other hand, looked pristine. She was just as Ash remembered her, if not a little more forbidding and far more intimidating. Everything about her looked like it had been given an upgrade. Her Salamence stronger, her robes blacker, her ray gun larger and shinier, her awful ship bigger and more intimidating that ever.

"J!" Ash yelled, skidding to a stop beside the four battered trainers. With a jolt, he realized he knew all of them. Two were girls, with pale blonde hair. One had grey eyes, one purple. The other two were boys. One looked like a male copy of Meera, and the other had pale pink hair.

Korrina. Astrid. Lucas and Cathy, and all of them on their last legs, along with their Pokemon.

"You came. Thank goodness," Astrid said wearily, looking pale and tired.

"You're late, you know," Korrina said, forcing a smile, but her relief was evident.

Lucas walked over and thumped Ash on the back, while Cathy grinned. They turned and faced J, Serena and Clemont closing ranks.

J had watched this reunion with dark amusement, her lip curling slightly. "More of you don't make a difference. I'll just take all of your Pokemon."

"I hoped I would never see you again," Ash said, his voice hard as he faced his longtime enemy.

"You," J breathed. "I saw your performance at the League. Believe me, once my Pokemon are yours, you will pay dearly for what you cost me."

"It's never gonna come to that! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled, sweeping his hand outward.

"Salamence, Hyper Beam," J said.Z

The others leaped into action.

"Braixen, Flamethrower!" Serena called.

"Luxray, use Swift!"

"Absol, Dark Pulse!"

"Zorua, Hyper Voice!"

These were met by a volley of Hidden Powers, Shadow Balls, Flamethrowers and Seed Bombs, plus a few Leech Seeds.

The attacks met midair, creating an explosion of light followed by dark, dense smoke. J decided not to waste her time.

She sent a blast from her ray gun, her eyes sharp, her aim sure. The beam cut through the smoke, heading straight for Ash. At the same time, a Pokeball drew its Pokemon back it, its trainer ready to switch out.

A pair of eyes spotted it coming. The ray hit. The person caught. J left, happy with her catch.

The smoke cleared, and Ash was still there, looking confused. They didn't realize what had happened until Bonnie's voice pierced the air.

"Where's Clemont?"

 **Author's Note: This chapter is where the fun really begins. I had been debating between Clemont and Ash, and I chose Clemont, not only because I wanted to challenge myself, but also because the idea aligns with Clemonts' current mind process.**

 **This idea of Clemont considering himself to be useless is one that I have admittedly seen a lot, but it felt essential to Clemont's character as a whole, which is why it is such an integral part of the story. Even episodes that heroed Clemont often showed him looking up to Ash, never really doing anything on his own, and I wanted to change that. The other important thing is that this chapter officially sets the stage, and our heroes have now officially met J, and now we have a few of our old LC finalists as well. With that said, my usual, as heartfelt as ever thanks to my brilliant readers, and thank you, thank you to Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava, YellowFlashCannon and 2 guests. See you all soon!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	6. Lost and Found

**I'm back! Let's get moving, shall we?**

Chapter 6: Lost and Found

As soon as Bonnie's innocent yet important question split the air, the trainer's heads swivelled, trying to find Clemont, worry slowly seeping in as they realized he was nowhere to be found.

"Clemont? Hey, Clemont, where are you?" Ash called, cupping his hands around his mouth.

Soon, calls of "Clemont!" and "Where are you?" rang through the air. Astrid's Meowstic, hovering in the air with Psychic, along with Talonflame, Hawlucha, Noivern and Cathy's Scizor were scouring the entire city. After about half an hour of desperate shouting, and negative results from the Pokemon, it was firmly established that Clemont was well and truly missing.

They were back in Meyer's house, trying to puzzle things out.

"He was here when the battle started. Why isn't he here now?" Astrid asked, her brow knitted as she puzzled over the mysterious situation. Suddenly, Korrina let out a half-strangled gasp. Her face was leeched of all colour.

"Korrina, what's wrong?" Serena asked anxiously, surprised by the horror on Korrina's face.

"It could be just about nothing," she said hesitantly.

"At this point, nothing's gotta count too," Lucas said gently.

"He's right. Any idea right now sounds good," Meera chipped in.

Korrina seemed to deflate. "Maybe. All right, here's the thing. I was standing next to Clemont. We were tag-teaming against 2 of J's minions, when that big attack was thrown and a whole lot of the area was covered in smoke. I could've sworn J pointed her gun at someone; in the smoke I didn't know who; but by the time the smoke cleared Clemont was gone. Do you think that he could've…"

"Got caught?" Ash finished.

Korrina nodded.

"There's one way to check that theory. I went over there to fix up some important circuitry, and one of the cameras was still working. If we ask Officer Jenny, maybe we'll see what really went down," Meyer said, his eyes dark with worry.

"But the smoke obscured everything," Bonnie pointed out.

"These cameras are special. They were originally designed to be used in firefighting, to let them see past the smoke, but they were so good that they're used on the street too. It's modelled off a Luxray's ability to see through almost anything," Meyer explained.

A little while later, they were all standing in a room, staring at a large screen, watching the battle they had just fought rewind before them.

Finally, the multitude of attacks collided midair, and the smoke billowed out, only this time it looked like an almost transparent white layer. What they saw next was something that would be branded into Ash's mind for the rest of his life.

Ash and J were standing opposite one another. J, her expression an incongruous mixture of mirth and calculation, aimed her ray gun at Ash and fired. The beam shot out, headed straight for Ash, swift and sure and silent.

His eyes were closed, as he covered his mouth and nose with his arm, turning away from J. But, however, when the bolt was less than a foot and a half away from him, Clemont appeared. He leaped in between Ash and the bolt. It struck him square in the chest, turning him to brown stone, his mouth still open as it formed Ash's name, as a glass case covered him and flew him out of the camera's range mere seconds before the smoke cleared.

Serena turned and gave Officer Jenny a nod, and she soundlessly turned the monitor off and left the room, leaving them on their own.

As soon as Officer Jenny left, Ash turned and punched the wall.

"I should've known," he hissed. "I should've known that she would do something like this. And now, Clemont's gone, thanks to me," he said, sinking into a chair.

"It's not your fault, Ash," Serena said firmly, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Clemont chose this. And we will get him back." she said, her eyes steady on his.

"But-,"

"Clemont knew what he was doing, and your eyes were closed. Come on, Ash, he's an inventor! He knows perfectly well who J is and what her equipment can do, so please don't blame yourself, okay? He chose this."

Ash sighed. "You're right. But, how do we get him back?"

"Cynthia said she had a plan. If we can figure out her location, we can get Clemont back!" Meera pointed out, smiling slightly.

Ash looked tired. He hated not being able to do anything, even when his friends were in danger. He hated being so helpless.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Officer Jenny opened the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is an injured woman at Clemont's house, and she wants to speak to you. She may have leads on J," Officer Jenny explained.

Ash leaped to his feet. "Well, what are we waiting for? Come on, you guys!" he yelled, the first to dash out the door.

They reached Meyer's house. "Glad to see you back so soon. I see Officer Jenny got the news to you quickly. She's upstairs, in Clemont's room."

They opened the door, and stepped inside. A woman of around twenty-two was sitting up on the bead, staring out the window. She turned to face them.

She had long caramel-coloured hair and grey-green eyes, in a small heart-shaped face. She was a little taller than them, and slim. She looked exhausted and bloodied up, her face covered in cuts and scratches. Ash realized that she looked familiar, somehow.

"Kyrie!" Serena squealed, running over to hug her cousin tightly. Now Ash realized where the familiarity came from. They both had the same features, the same build, even similar eyelashes.

"Serena! It's been a while. I've missed you!" she replied, hugging her back.

She turned to face the others. "I'm Kyrie, and I'm also Serena's first cousin. Clemont's been captured, hasn't he? No need for introductions; I know your names, Ash, Bonnie, Astrid, Korrina, Meera, Lucas," she said, her gaze flitting over each one as she said their names.

"How do you know our names?" Meera asked, suspicion evident in her eyes. They looked gray in the light.

"Because I happen to be one of J's spies," Kyrie said bluntly.

Everyone in the room tensed instantly, whipping out Pokeballs.

"Before you hit, think about this. If I were on J's side, why would I come and hand myself over to you?" the brunette asked.

Lucas relaxed almost imperceptibly. "Okay. So what are you doing here?"

"I've come to help you stop J, because her plan is downright insane. There are a few spies who help her willingly, but I'm not one of them. Most of us were singled out because we were strong fighters, and our loved ones, sometimes even our Pokemon, were threatened if we didn't do as she said. How do you think she knows where all the strong Pokemon are?"

"Okay, but what's her plan?" Korrina asked.

"It's diabolical. Have you heard of comets?"

The gang nodded.

"The one that J is targeting comes once every 77 years. She wants to pull it out of its orbit and use it for herself," she explained.

"But what's so special about the comet?" Serena asked.

"That's the part I don't know. What I do know is that she's working for someone else, a team called Team Starr, and she's collecting Pokemon because they're going to literally wrench the energy out of all of them at once, against their will, killing them in the process, to pull the comet down here. Why she wants to do it, I have no idea. But I do know that if it happens, the results will be disastrous." She said grimly.

"They'd willingly kill off so many innocent Pokemon? Why?" Serena whispered.

Nobody got the chance to answer that question, because at that split second, Lumiose Tower erupted in a burst of fire.

 **Author's Note: I really love throwing cliffhangers at you guys. Now, as you can see, Kyrie has officially joined the group, and she won't be the last to do so. This chapter basically puts only some of the info into the light: J is not working alone, Team Starr, and we still don't know why she wants to pull this comet down or what will happen if she will. All in due time! This chapter explains itself a lot, so I won't go into the details. If I can, I'll post this week, but if I can't, next Monday is always a promise. Last week didn't happen, and my sincerest apologies. Truly.**

 **Now, before I go, a big, fat thank you to all of my brilliant, patient readers and another big one to Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava and 1 guest for reviewing! See you guys soon!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	7. Fight, Flight or Fall

**I'm back and ready to rock! So, now comes the part of the story that I have both looked forward to but at the same time felt a definite case of nerves writing about. Clemont's POV. Now, then, shall we?**

Chapter 7: Fight, Flight or Fall

Being frozen in stone, Clemont realized, was extremely uncomfortable. His body was trapped in a hard, solid encasing, and he couldn't move a muscle. He had lost consciousness in between, but he was awake now. The last few seconds had been so full of reckless thought that it froze him.

Now that he had time to think, it all came back to him.

The barrage of attacks. The thick, dense smoke, and the light gathering in J's gun. He hadn't been able to see where it was aimed, but anyone with half a brain would know it was aimed at Ash. The burst of adrenaline and speed in his muscles as he raced forward and leaped, the split second where he watched the beam flash. The feeling of being stabbed by an icicle when it hit, and darkness later.

As usual, he had been singled out first.

No one had even looked at him. Were they worried for him now? Did they know what had happened? Even so, did they care?

He instantly felt guilty for thinking the last thought. Of course they did. They cared a lot. They'd come rescue him.

They would go through hell, but they would rescue him. But… could he rescue himself?

No.

Maybe.

Possibly.

Hopefully.

Ash would have said yes. Bonnie would have too.

So why couldn't he?

Because he wasn't good enough.

Or was he?

Would it hurt to try?

Ash would have said to never give up until the end. Serena would have fought too. Bonnie, had she been in this situation, would have probably done the same. Grey eyes flashed in his mind.

Korrina.

She would probably come too. It would be extremely dangerous. His gut twisted at the thought.

He was going to get out of here. Come what may, so that his friends wouldn't be in danger.

At least he would try.

The tower, it turned out, hadn't been blown up. All the electrical storage compartments at the back, however, had, creating a gigantic explosion. But why?

J was the culprit. She had made it pretty obvious, with a huge J painted in soot in front of the burning building.

"I still don't get why she did it, though," Ash said, as they thought over it at the Pokemon Centre.

"Why blow up a bunch of electrical storage compartments? How does that help in bringing down a comet?" Kyrie wondered aloud.

"I wish Clemont were here," Serena murmured, sighing wearily.

"We all wish for that," Cathy murmured.

"Ash, everyone!" a sharp voice said loudly.

They all whirled to find none other than Malva walk quickly into the Pokemon Centre, her Houndoom prowling at her side.

Malva didn't bother with her formalities. She sat down on a vacant chair.

"So Clemont was kidnapped?"

"They were going for me. Clemont threw himself in between. They've got him instead of me," Ash said darkly.

Bonnie went very white around the lips, but didn't say anything.

"So now they have Clemont."

"Yeah."

She turned to Kyrie. "I heard you were originally one of J's spies?" she asked.

"Yes, I was," she replied. She was wearing her pale aqua wig and green contacts, and with some exaggerated eye makeup and a little bit of foundation to make her skin look paler, Kyrie was almost unrecognizable.

Malva looked at her for a long while. Kyrie stared back, her gaze unblinking. The former leaned back into her chair, apparently satisfied with what she saw in Kyrie's eyes.

The moment was interrupted by a loud ring that emanated from Malva's phone. Looking irritated, she picked it up.

"Yes?"

The voice on the other end sounded panicked and scared.

"WHAT? Yes, we're on our way."

She turned to the others, her eyes grim.

"Gear up. We have a battle to fight. J's attacking Dendemille Town. We'll go by helicopter."

J's minion's laughter filled the air.

"We aim for the strong one and get the puny little hero instead. What a loyal little friend!"

Clemont, now out of his stone bindings, sat in a cell, glaring at her.

"Ash will defeat you. You don't stand a chance against him or our friends!" the blonde said, standing up in the walls of his cell.

"Oh, he may. But I'll win in the end. And the whole our friends thing? He's way out of your league. Get used to it," the minion, whose name was apparently Sandy, sneered.

"Let me go!"

"No can do, kid. Neither you nor your friend in the next room stand a chance of getting out. J wants to meet you, but she's busy right now. So, you're stuck here," she said indifferently.

With that, she walked away. Clemont glared at the bars that separated him from freedom.

"You know, glaring at them isn't going to change much," a voice said from the next cell.

Clemont leaned forward as the other person did. She looked jarringly familiar.

Brunette. Aqua eyes.

"May?" Clemont hissed, staring at her in shock. "You got caught too?"

"Yeah. I was visiting Unova when Her Royal Pokemon Hunter arrived. She went straight for me. I was with this guy called Drew at the time. I got caught. How did you land up here?"

"Pretty much the same. We were in Lumiose City. We'd gotten called back from Kanto to help fight J, but…."

He narrated the whole sorry tale to her.

"Wow, so you put yourself in Ash's place? That was really brave of you!" May commented.

Clemont flushed slightly, and scratched the back of his head. "If they had gotten to Ash, we would've lost a really important part of our team. I'm not worth that much," he quipped, laughing, trying to mask the bitterness in his voice.

May looked confused. "Not worth that much? What do you mean?"

Clemont sighed. "The usual. Ash is almost always the one to be appreciated or called upon. I'm just the absent Lumiose gym leader," he admitted, laughing.

May smiled wryly. "I see what you mean. Ash just has something to him that makes the whole world love him," she said. "And he never lets it get to his head."

"True."

"So tell me about Drew."

It was May's turn to blush now. "He's a Coordinator, and my arch rival. He's really good, and I…" Her voice trailed off.

"Keep going," Clemont pressed.

"I like him much more that I'm supposed to. I don't know why, but I do. I can't help it," she finished, finding it surprisingly easy to pour her emotions out to this quiet, mature gym leader.

"Is there someone for you, too?"

Clemont sighed. "Yes. The Shalour gym leader, Korrina. She's strong and bright, and, well, I guess I feel the same way for her the way you feel for Drew," Clemont admitted.

May sighed. "Glad that's out in the open. Now," her smile turning devious, "any plans for getting outta here?"

 **Author's Note: Welcome back! First things first, there is going to be no romance whatsoever between Clemont and May. I pitched them together for a two simple reasons: one, they both have the problem of being in Ash's shadow, plus their rivals'. Two, they complement each other, and I feel like one has a lot to learn from the other, and vice versa. Three, they are both obviously in love with 2 very strong characters, but they aren't any good at portraying their feelings.**

 **The beginning of the chapter was hard to write, because Clemont, as a person, is confident of what he can already do. He just doesn't believe it to be good enough. Portraying that was a challenge. I gave him Korrina to hang onto in the end. He needed a spark, and it makes the whole brother-sister relationship thing with May much better.**

 **Now, before I go, the usual, but just as meaningful thanks to all my readers, and a special one to Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava, Dragon's Blaze and 1 guest for reviewing. See you all on Monday!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	8. Runaways

**Hello! Last week's update didn't happen either. I had an important family function; one of my relatives was getting married, so that called priority. But, this week's chapter is here, so shall we?**

Chapter 8: Runaways

"Wake up!" came a sharp voice from the outside of the cells. Clemont and May awoke, groggy. They had spent all of last night figuring out how to break free, and had come up with a concrete plan. It was risky, but it was the only way to get both them and their Pokemon out safely.

They were running on around three hours' worth of sleep. Maybe less.

Sandy stood outside, her eyes gleaming. "Get ready. Three minutes, then we're taking you her. Hurry it up, will you?"

May and Clemont quickly brushed their bedheads with their fingers, washed their faces with the miniscule amount of water Sandy gave them, and gargled. Judging them to be reasonably clean, they stepped out of their cells. Immediately, their wrists were cuffed with glowing, heavy cuffs. Clemont smiled. Thank goodness. He glanced and May, and she pretended to kiss her bicep.

"Ugh, you're so annoying! Hurry up!" Sandy snapped, shoving them. They obediently turned around and walked with the array with the array of guards, trying to look like the picture of defiant, angry trainers, snapping at Sandy occasionally to let them go, or that they would never get away with this. Basically imitating Ash. Struggling along the whole way, but never actually trying to break free.

They finally stepped into the cockpit, and to Clemont's relief, it was exactly how he had hoped it would be. Because it was so high-tech, most of everything was made of glass. The giant control keypad, most of the walls. There was very little metal.

Had he not been so nervous, Clemont would have probably squealed and danced around like a little kid at how high-end everything was. There was no old software, not a single malfunctioning wire, the most foolproof safety mechanisms, whatever wasn't glass was hard graphite, some of it like antenna, which was probably how they received signals and connectivity…. He would have cried so much that his reaction to the Pokeball factory would have looked like a manly, macho wrestler, and then waxed lyrical.

But now he curled his lip in disgust.

This technology, tech that he had worked with, was being used for the most sick, evil purposes. Testing Pokemon in labs. Trafficking. Escaping the law. Violation of a being's basic rights. How did people manage to be this evil? How did they even get their hands on tech like this?

"The lengths that people would go to for money," May muttered, almost as if she had read his mind.

J sat on a high platform behind and above all of it, on a raised seat with its own set of keypads and speakers and holograms. She nodded haughtily to Sandy, who pulled May and Clemont in.

Something was wrong, though. Where on earth were the Pokeballs?

"There," May breathed. Clemont looked up, and felt his stomach wrench. The Pokeballs were up on a high glass shelf, impossible for them to reach.

"Let's just focus on breaking free. We'll wing it from there," he murmured.

"So you're the two brats that Sandy brought in," J said, looking distastefully. "Good with the girl, but that boy is annoying. You thought that intercepting the target would stop me?" she laughed mirthlessly. "I always get my investments."

"So what exactly are you going to do with us?" May asked, inching a little closer to a main control keypad. There were large windows; this was the actual piloting area.

"Use you as hostages to get what my client hired me for. He wants strong Pokemon who can Mega Evolve. Along with their trainers. That boy and his Pikachu are the perfect choice. But," she said, smiling in a way that made Clemont's stomach flip, "I do some shopping of my own," she finished.

At that split second, one of her clients informed her of a Pokemon. She looked away for a few seconds. Sandy's attention shifted too.

That was all May and Clemont needed. May ran as fast as she could, and, slamming her handcuffed wrists into a keypad to create a distraction, raced to the nearest antenna and hooked the handcuffs over them and pulled. They broke. She flung hard at a glass window, and it shattered, creating a powerful vacuum.

It was chaos, and Clemont blanked. What would Ash do? He would have done something amazing and reckless and saved the day.

Clemont was a wet blanket. Suddenly, he remembered something. J had wanted Mega Evolved Pokemon… and their trainers. Which meant that Korrina was a target, along with Astrid, Alain, Professor Sycamore, and Ash.

He glanced around, and he realized that the vacuum was doing most of his work for him. Nobody could catch him or May because everyone was holding on for dear life. He wasn't, because he had slipped behind a graphite antenna that was nailed into the ground, which left hid hands free.

He still had his bag. He activated his Aipom Arm, and swung it. He missed the shelf; he didn't have enough reach. He took a deep breath, and, carefully turning around, somehow managed to shimmy up the antenna, and swung hard again.

This time, it hit its mark.

The shelf shattered, and the Pokeballs flew out in their case.

And, somehow, May caught it. She had used the central keypads holder as her ground. Now, she let go, leapt, and caught the cumbersome, top-heavy case. The vacuum took hold, and she was yanked out.

"MAY!" Clemont yelled. He turned to the other side of the antenna and let go. He felt a hard pull and he was wrenched out of the ship, and he was falling. He saw May, falling faster due to the added weight of the case. He forced himself to flip over and fall headfirst, pinning his arms to his sides, and fell faster. He caught May with the Aipom Arm, and they tumbled into the trees below.

They were flying.

They had received word that J was going to attack Aquacord Town, and they were flying there via helicopter.

But what Bonnie saw made her face turn pale.

A good quarter of the town was on fire, and the screaming was drowning out the sound of the choppers.

 **Author's Note: So they finally made it out, and now Aquacorde Town is up in flames. I can assure you that Team Starr will make an appearance in this chapter. I really wanted to make the escape very Clemont, and very unlike what Ash would do. May deserved some credit. No lie here, this was a hard chapter to write, but I think it went reasonably well, no?**

 **Before I go, a big thanks to all of my eternally brilliant, beautiful and patient readers, and a joyous shoutout of thanks to Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava and 1 guest for reviewing. You guys are the literal best, and I'd love to hear from more of you! Also, does anyone have, or could recommend, a good forum that I could join on this site? Let me know! I could really use the advice!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	9. Starr

**I'm back! We left on quite a cliffhanger last chappie, so now let's wrap it up!**

Chapter 9: Starr

Fortunately for May and Clemont, they landed in a river.

Unfortunately, the river was cold. And it had a relentless current.

They surfaced in an instant, grabbing onto each other and gasping for breath as the relentless current whisked them along its winding route. The river seemed to be playing a game with them, flinging wave after wave over their heads, and then laughing as they struggled to hit the surface again.

"This is not on my bucket list for good water sports!" May gasped as they resurfaced.

"You think it's on mine?" Clemont asked as another wave passed over their heads.

The screams got louder and much more intense as the helicopter descended lower. The flames seemed brighter and hotter. It felt like an eternity before they landed. Finally, they hit the ground. Ash was the first out of the chopper, his heart in his throat. Serena followed him out, and they stopped for a moment to take in the view.

They had landed in a more or less unburnt section of Aquacord Town, but they could hear the screams from the marketplace, and see the thick, dark plumes of smoke, mingled with embers.

Serena broke into a run, Ash beside her, Astrid and the others at their heels. They plunged into the markerplace, and it was a pretty grim scenario.

People in odd black outfits with stars printed on them were wreaking havoc on the town. Cries of injured Pokemon were as constant as background music to a song. The flames made it hard to breathe.

"This has gotta be Team Starr," Ash muttered as he took in the scene.

"You bet," Serena murmured back.

"We're going to have to split up," Lucas said from the back. "Guys, please be careful. I don't wanna lose any of you," he said. He gave them a crooked grin and raced off toward a bunch of team members attacking an orphanage.

Astrid gave Serena a quick hug, grinned wildly at the others and tore off after Lucas.

Korrina winked, and skated away, Lucario at her heels, Meera tailing her.

Ash turned and faced Serena. They knew that this was the only moment of peace they were going to have for a while. She grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a rough kiss. They broke apart.

"You know, I'd love a Pokepuff right about now," Ash chuckled out. Serena was surprised that he seemed to be so relaxed, but she figured that this was his way of holding back the tension and not letting himself get cold feet.

"You wish," she retorted.

They turned and ran straight into the blaze.

The smoke stung at Astrid's eyes. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her, heading for a few Starr members, who were attacking an orphanage. Rage coursed through her veins, intensifying when she saw the terrified faces of the children inside.

"Leave those children alone!" Astrid yelled as she came within battling distance.

The attackers turned to face her. There were three of them, and, judging by the air of artless swagger and self-assurance they wore, probably higher up the pecking order in the evil team.

The first, a man, had cold green eyes and dirty blonde hair. It was a pleasing combination, but something about his features and the look in his eyes made Astrid's skin crawl. The second, also a man, had purple eyes and black hair. They fought with a Vespequin, and a Toxicroak respectively.

The third, who fought alongside a Aggron made her feel like she had taken a slug to the gut.

Skating on the cobbles was a bit of a task for Korrina. It didn't stop her, though. She zoomed along the winding roads, catching up with an ominous plume of smoke and loud, clear battle sounds.

Meera ran beside her, as fast on her feet as Korrina was on her skates. She could smell burned wood. The smell that used to comfort her with memories of sleeping under the stars with Lucario by her side now made her feel sick. She felt Lucario tense next to her, a low growl budding in its throat.

There was a sickening smell of burnt hair and burned plastic, and there were those terrified cries. They were of varying age groups, from the small, high-pitched cries of younger ones to the slightly shaky calls of the older.

They rounded a corner, and finally hit the building. The fire was almost out, but the smoke and ash and debris was choking everyone inside. Suddenly, Korrina heard a cry. A very human, very gut-wrenchingly familiar cry.

Pink hair. Big blue eyes. A pink-and-white nursing dress.

Nurse Joy looked at them, her eyes wide, her pupils dilated with fear. "You have to help us! There are Pokemon inside!"

The realization sunk in, fast and horrifying. The burning building was a Pokemon Centre. There were injured, sick Pokemon inside. A pretty, wiry Wigglytuff was using Fairy Wind on the flames, which was probably what had brought the fire down to this level, but it was showing clear signs of exhaustion, and Korrina could plainly see its legs quivering under its sooty white apron.

"We need to extinguish that fire," Meera yelled. "Espeon!"

Her faithful Psychic type emerged from its Pokeball, its purple eyes bright. It looked at the fire, and sent an anxious look to Meera. "I know," she said. "Espeon, slow down those flames with Psychic!"

The fire, now outlined with blue, seemed to slow.

Korrina's eyes scanned the ruined area, and landed on what seemed to be a pump.

"Lucario, use Bone Rush on that pump!" she barked, flinging her arm outward at the pump.

Using its glowing blue bone, Lucario smashed the pump open. Water blasted out at a high pressure, drenching everyone in sight. Meera called a command to Espeon, who quickly transferred the Psychic to the water in a fan.

In a few seconds, the already Fairy-Wind reduced flames were extinguished. They all raced inside the Centre, yelling at the top of their lungs for any Pokemon. Thanks to Wigglytuff's quick thinking, only the front of the Centre was burned. Most of the interior rooms were still intact.

Desperate cries responded from the interior. Korrina tore after them, bursting into a room in the middle of the Pokemon Centre. It would normally have been used for a trainer to spend the night, but now it was packed with Pokemon, young and old, sick and injured. Greying fur and bandages were visible everywhere.

Then voices sounded from outside. "This is Team Starr! You are under hostage. Put one foot outside that Centre and we won't hesitate to fire!"

With a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach, Korrina realized that his had been a distraction to get them inside a closed area.

They were trapped.

 **Author's Note: Quite a blast of a chapter. Clemont and May aren't far from our heroes now, and they'll play a key role in Korrina's rescue. I can only reveal that much. Now, for a good reason as to why I couldn't update last week was basically this: I had a chronic case of writer's block. I was blank, and I'd feel like a bad writer if I gave you content that I wasn't personally happy with. There will be 2 chappies coming up today, so I'll see you in the next one!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	10. You'd Think that She Would have Cared

**So, last week, I got run over with test prep at school, and for two of my weaker subjects. So last week's update wasn't a possibility. Ergo, I'm updating two chappies today!**

Chapter 10: You'd Think that She Would have Cared.

As soon as the third turned around, Lucas saw Astrid visibly stiffen, her already alabaster skin paling.

The third one, a woman, looked very like and very unlike Astrid. Like Astrid, she had large violet eyes and hair but a few shades darker. Unlike Astrid, who exuded a sense if warmth and good cheer, she let off an air of cold indifference.

"Aww, my baby sister. How I have missed you!" she said, smiling, but her tone and her eyes made the hair at the back of Lucas's neck stand on end.

"Alexia," Astrid whispered.

The green-eyed man sneered.

"Who is this slip of a girl?" the green-eyed man asked.

"My little sister from my messed-up home, Damaron," Alexia replied indifferently.

" _Messed-up home?_ You turned so cruel, left in the middle of the night! I cried myself to sleep for weeks! You just up and left and now you've joined them? What have they done to you?!" Astrid demanded, tears in her eyes.

The black-haired man sneered. "What have we done to her? She came and joined us willingly! Practically begged us to! She's one of us now," he said, his sneer twisting into a leer as he eyed Astrid in a way that made Lucas take a step toward her, protectively.

Astrid looked at Alexia for what felt like an eternity, trying to look for her sister in the cold, cruel human being that she had become.

She found nothing.

"As much as we have enjoyed this little tete-a-tete, we have buildings to burn," Damaron interrupted. "Excuse us."

This seemed to snap Astrid out of it. "Over my dead body," she snarled, her eyes dark with fury. "Absol, use Dark Pulse!"

Her loyal best friend burst out of its Pokeball, and, seeing the tears staining its trainers' face, let out a roar of fury and hurled a Dark Pulse at Alexia and her comrades. Lucas snapped into action as well.

"Zorua, use Shadow Ball!" he barked, snapping Zorua's Pokeball forward. His loyal friend burst out of its Pokeball snarling, and fired a clean, powerful Shadow Ball as soon as it hit the ground.

The attacks struck true, owing to the fact that the startled intruders hadn't been given the time to react, but Lucas and Astrid were far from relaxed. Team Starr still had the upper hand.

A Poison Sting, Flamethrower and Rock Wrecker flew toward them, coming nearer and nearer with dazzling speed.

"Use Hyper Voice!"

"Use Psycho Cut!"

The attacks met in midair. The Poison Sting and the Flamethrower were dispelled, but the Rock Wrecker flew on, relentless. It smashed into Absol, who was flung back with a howl of pain.

"Absol, NO!" Astrid yelled in horror, rushing to check on her fallen best friend.

But the Pokemon was already standing, struggling to its feet. Astrid's eyes were bright with tears and resolve. "Absol," she said, pressing two fingers to the earring that held her Keystone. "Mega Evolve!"

Absol roared and a myriad beams of light connected the two stones, and a blinding flash of light later, Absol had Mega Evolved.

Alexia hissed like an angry Glameow. "So you got a cute little toy to amuse yourself with. No matter. We'll get rid of you anyway. Aggron, use Takedown!" she yelled, swinging her hand outward. Aggron charged at the two trainers, its body glowing.

"Zorua, use Scary Face!" Lucas barked. Zorua's face took on a terrifying quality. It snarled at Aggron, who stopped dead in its tracks and whimpered, backing away.

"You useless rock-type! Attack!" Alexia yelled.

Astrid snarled. "You're going down! Mega Absol, Mega Horn!"

Absol roared and flew at the already petrified Aggron, its horns enlarged and glowing green. It slammed into the burly rock-type with deadly speed. The former didn't stand a chance. Aggron collapsed, unconscious.

Alexia looked livid, her pixie-cut blonde hair ruffled as she returned Aggron to its Pokeball without even a single word of praise. Astrid's blood boiled.

Damaron and the black-haired man, whose name was apparently Porsin, glared at the duo. Toxicroak and Vespequin growled menacingly.

"Don't forget about us," Porsin growled, his tone oily. "Toxicroak, use-,"

He didn't get the chance to finish as a Thunderbolt and a Fireblast hit them head-on in a deafening blast. The area was enveloped in fire and smoke, smoke that burnt at Astrid's eyes and stung Lucas's throat.

When it cleared, they were gone. Ash and Serena stood a little behind them, their expressions hard. They changed, however, when they saw the looks on Astrid and Lucas's faces.

The blonde looked like she was fighting a bitter battle against tears.

Serena walked over to Astrid and took her hand. "Astrid, whatever you've been through, there's no need to be so tough," she said gently as the exhausted blonde looked at her. "It's okay, even good, to cry in a situation like this. Get it out of your system, okay?"

Astrid burst into tears and buried her head into Serena's shoulder. A few sobs later, she spoke.

"You'd think that she would've cared," she whispered.

Clemont woke up to someone frantically shaking him.

He opened his eyes and saw grey eyes and blonde hair. For a split, hopeful second, he hope that it was Korrina, but this person had longer hair, and narrower eyes. She looked older.

"Cynthia!" he gasped, coughing up water, and saw Flint waking May up.

"Clemont, are you all right?" she demanded.

"I'm fine, but the Pokeballs-,"

"Are safe."

Clemont sagged with relief. The Pokeballs were safe. May was safe. They had escaped.

"Don't rest so easy," Cynthia warned. "You've missed a lot. Aquacord Town was attacked by a group called Team Starr. Korrina and Meera have been taken hostage."

He went deaf to everything after the words 'Korrina' and 'hostage'. "We need to get her out," he said, trying to stand up. Cynthia pinned him down.

"Don't get so hasty. You and May are both exhausted, and we're calling in Ash and the others as we speak. Korrina will have to wait."

Clemont's eyes blazed with indignation. He opened his mouth to speak.

"It's all right. There's something you all need to know before we defeat Team Starr once and for all. You see, their plan is far more gruesome than anything we've ever faced before,"

 **Author's Note: So as you can probably see, the final showdown is… well, not so near as you think. But a lot of important stuff is going to happen in the next few chapters.**

 **This chappie was pretty self-explanatory so, without further ado, a big thanks to all of my patient readers (haha), and another one to Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava and 1 guest for reviewing. See you all next Monday!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame**


	11. A Realization

**Okay, so I have some news for all of you. From now on, updates are going to be on a Friday. Why? For 2 simple reasons. Firstly, now that my school has FINALLY given Saturdays off, I can afford to pull late-nighters writing chappies for you amazing people. Secondly, on Mondays I will be studying harder than ever for my exams, and Friday is a relief of sorts as I have the weekend to cover up. This way, updates will remain regular. Now, are we on for Chapter 11. 12 should come tomorrow to cover for last week.**

Chapter 11: A Realization.

Bonnie knew for a fact that she wasn't supposed to be here. Ash and the others had brought her along, but had told her sternly to stay close to them.

She couldn't see them. Any of them. They had all split up as soon as they landed, but they had told her to stay close to one of them. She wasn't close to any of them, but that didn't matter. What did matter was what she was hearing right now.

 _About 3 hours ago, in the helicopter:_

"Bonnie, I need you to stay inside the helicopter." Ash said sternly, in a way that was very unlike him. Bonnie felt her heart sink. "Why?" she had wailed, looking at Ash in shock. "You've never done this before! I was fine in Lumiose City!"

"We knew what we were gonna face there, and you had Squishy with you. You don't have it on your side now, and Clemont would never forgive me if something bad happened to you," Ash countered, his brown eyes clear. Bonnie opened her mouth to speak, but Serena quickly cut her off.

"Bonnie, it would really help to know that Clemont's sister is safe," she said quietly, her blue eyes piercingly calm. "Please stay in here, okay?"

As much as Bonnie hated to admit it, that made perfect sense. She was staying inside.

Until she had seen smoke billowing up in a dark, ember-bright cloud over the Pokemon Centre, and Dedenne had panicked and run. She had followed it, and had dived behind a bush when two Team Starr members had sauntered past, guffawing about those two Pokemon-loving girls who were now their hostages, all for the sake for a bunch of old, sick, weak, useless Pokemon. Bonnie had been livid until she heard what followed.

"Rather pretty too," the first one had said. "All blonde hair and grey eyes, and the other chestnut and blue brat."

"But they're pretty dumb too," the other had said, and they snickered and walked away. Bonnie, on the other hand, was left feeling sick.

"They've taken Korrina and Meera hostage," she breathed.

The she came to an even more horrifying conclusion.

"The other's don't know!"

Diantha was pacing, and the fact that the normally serene Champion was pacing, of all things, made Clemont nervous.

What freaked both him and May out even more was that their friends were involved in something so awful that it made the Kalos Champion pace.

"Umm… Champion?" May asked hesitantly after a few minutes. "You wanted to tell us something?"

"I will, May. I'm just waiting for Cynthia. She is bringing in another Trainer… well, rather, Pokemon Coordinator to help us. You'll all be briefed together. She should be here in another two mi-?"

She was cut short as the door opened, and Cynthia and a strikingly handsome boy with chartreuse-green hair and eyes stepped inside. May felt like someone had sucker-punched her in the gut.

The years had been kind to him, making him taller, leaner, the slight pudginess gone from his face, all angles and green eyes. He still walked with that swagger about him, still had that air that made any girl within seeing range swoon, and was still, even after all this time, she was still in love with him, even though she daren't show it. He had even changed his outfit a little. He had ditched his purple jacket for a black hoodie with a purple vest underneath, and his pants were a darker shade of green.

May suddenly realized that she was soaking wet, her hair was a disaster, and she was covered with mud. And then his eyes landed on her.

Everything in Drew's mind evaporated when he saw her. She was a mess, with little diamonds of glass in her hair, her face streaked with mud, and she was soaking wet. But she was alive. Safe. The sheer relief nearly choked him.

She was staring back at him with those clear, dark turquoise eyes, still beautiful despite how bad she currently looked.

Cynthia spoke. "Diantha, there's something I need to tell you. Some useful intel Drew gave me. I thought you should know before anyone else." She said, and with that, the two of them left the room.

Drew didn't exactly know what happened in the following seconds. His feet moved forward, she was getting up and moving towards him, and then either she moved or he moved and then they were kissing, and it was what he had longed for since that day when the Wynaut saved them. When she saved him.

Clemont watched the two. Instead of being mortified like he normally would be, he felt oddly… wistful. They broke apart, smiling goofily at each other, relief written in blocks all over Drew's face.

The blonde gym leader felt a surge of longing as a pair of silver-grey eyes flashed through his mind, leaving longing and love in its wake. Wait… Love? It surprised him, but, yes, he was in love with her. Whether she loved him back was a different tale, and there was only one way to find out.

Could he?

Would she mind?

Probably not.

So why was he so afraid of doing it? his scientific mind reasoned. What was bothering him?

The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. Ash or Serena never actually cared about what other people thought of them too much. Sure, they wouldn't insult one another, but their easy confidence and their courage was what made them special. He realized that… that was one of the major things he lacked. Not confidence… but confidence in _himself._ Sure, Ash was amazing, but he could never be Ash. There was a lot to learn, but, beyond a point, there were always things that the both of them would do differently, and both of those ways would be right. He just didn't believe in himself enough to try.

Well, he was going to try.

Starting by saving the girl he loved.

 **Author's Note: I personally think that this chapter is one of the most important in the whole story, merely because Clemont finally gains something that he has had an abject lack of in the previous episodes; self confidence. For once, while reflecting, he isn't comparing himself to someone; he's thinking about himself and the girl he loves. He's one step closer to answering the question that has been bothering him since the start, and this is a development of his that will change a lot for him. Hence, this chapter is important.**

 **Drew is also important, because one, by so openly kissing May out of sheer relief, he did something that Clemont would never have dared to do, and this scene is finally what will push him closer to Korrina. May and Drew are both extremely important characters in their own right… as you will find out next chapter!**

 **Now, before I go, thanks so much to all my endlessly patient readers. I don't deserve you guys. Thanks soo much to Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava and 1 guest for reviewing. See you guys soon!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


	12. Plans

**Now that my exams are finally over, we can start this again. And, to make it up to you, I've written out an Amourshipping oneshot on Serena that I will be posting as well, so stay tuned for that! Updates will be regular from now on, I promise.**

Chapter 12: Plans

"So, Cynthia, what have we missed?" Clemont asked of the Sinnoh Champion.

"Aquacord Town was attacked. Korrina and Meera have been taken hostage, the others would probably have no idea. Bonnie went with them."

The last five words shattered all of Clemont's calm.

"BONNIE'S THERE TOO?" he demanded, leaping out of his seat on the sofa. "Why did they even take her? She doesn't have Squishy's protection anymore, and it doesn't help matters that half of the town is up in flames!" he yelled, horrifying images of what could've happened to his little sister now flooding his mind.

"The others won't let any harm come to her," Cynthia said patiently. "But right now we need you to go there, rather than call Ash and the others back in. I'm not exactly sure what Team Starr's plan is, but I have a guess, and that's enough to give me nightmares," she told Clemont, her eyes dark.

"But how do you already know this much of you weren't even there?"

"That was me," Drew admits. "They attacked, and I had to hide for a while. I saw everyone. Bonnie's alone, but she seemed safe when I last left, and I saw Korrina and Meera looking out of a window in a half burned Pokemon Centre crawling with Team Starr. I got away with all my Pokemon, then Cynthia found me."

"There was another reason that Drew came so willingly. I told him you were with me," Cynthia said to May, who glanced up at Drew, who was now blushing.

"But what exactly is it? Their plan?" Drew asked, his arm curled protectively around May's waist as he sat up straighter, his composure regained.

Diantha took a deep breath. "Legend has it that several thousand years ago, a cult of evil priests found a way to bind a legendary Pokemon to their will, through powers that would only be granted to them if they spilled the blood of at least a hundred Pokemon and let it wash the stones of their altar. The legendary Pokemon in question would then be forced to appear, and if the priest spilled their blood and drank it, he would not only achieve immortality but the legendary Pokemon would be bound to his will. The more powerful the Pokemon that were killed, the less the legendary could fight back" She finished.

"That's absolutely horrible," May breathed.

Clemont was stunned. Murdering at least a 100 innocent Pokemon in cold blood…

Drew looked sick.

"Fortunately, they were stopped, and executed for their crimes. The common story ends there," Cynthia said.

"Let me guess," Clemont said. "That's not all."

"It isn't," Diantha said. "It is also said that this cult wrote these ideas down in a set of scrolls for safekeeping, and hid them away so that one day if someone found it, their ideas could still be carried forward,"

"Team Starr found these," May whispered. Diantha nodded.

"The group if people, who later went on to be the founders of the Kalos region, sank the temple underwater," Cynthia said. "The temple is believed to be sunk in the chunk of sea that forms Aquacorde Town's coast, almost buried in the seabed itself," Cynthia explained.

"So that's their plan?" Clemont asked.

"Seems like it."

"So now what?"

"They need to wait for a full moon, which is three days from now. They're burning Aquacorde anyway because it'll flush out more Pokemon. Right now our priority is to rescue Korrina and the others, and get you some new clothes, Clemont," Diantha said, laughing at the sigh of the numerous rips and tears in Clemont's jumpsuit.

Clemont smiled ruefully. "Yes, we should do that too."

"But how do we get Korrina and the others out?" Drew demands. "They're likely to guard every outpost, if they're as large and powerful as you say," he points out.

Cynthia grins mischievously. "Against another strong hostage?"

Being trapped, Korrina was quick to realize, wasn't at all what all those crazy romantic thrillers with the buff, muscular hero who would do the most impossible things in order to save his lover and come out of the whole mess with his swooning girlfriend in his arms and not a hair out of place as a building blew up behind him.

And now she bitterly regretted thinking about heroes, because her thoughts flew directly to Clemont, his arms sinewy under his baggy jumpsuit, his kind blue eyes, his handsome face and his blonde hair, only a few shades darker than her own.

He looked mediocre next to Ash, but that didn't stop Korrina from…

From what?

Being in love with him ever since that starlit night where he had comforted her about Lucario, his hair silver in the moonlight and his eyes an endless blue.

Her cheeks flushed, but she pushed the thought out of her mind quickly. She had worse things to worry about.

Meera had been glaring out of the room's window, which was firmly locked. They were in here along with a host of sick and injured Pokemon, all of which looked a little scared. Korrina didn't blame them. Even if she escaped, what would become of them at Team Starr's and J's ruthless hands? Lab experiments? The thought made her blood run cold.

She couldn't leave here without them. According to what she heard a slimy-voiced guard say that many trainers were trapped in this half-burnt shell of a building.

Where would they be?

"Korrina, are you even listening to me?" said Meera's exasperated voice. The former snapped out of her reverie instantly and whirled around, her face blushing as she realized that Meera had been talking for the past 10 minutes and she had been zoning out about Clemont.

"Um….."

Meera's brilliant blue eyes sparked with mischief. "Thinking about a certain handsome Lumiose City gym leader?" she drawled, poking Korrina playfully in the side. If Korrina had been blushing before, it now looked like the colour red had been invented in her face.

"NO!" she shrieked.

"Yes!" Meera squealed in delight.

The lively mood darkened quickly when their door was flung open. Korrina and Meera straightened, and glared at the Team Starr guard who walked in. His eyes surveyed the room suspiciously. Apparently satisfied, he threw a boy with blonde hair into the room, tossing him by the collar of his white T-shirt, and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut. Korrina heard the click of a lock. By this time, the boy had gotten up, and Korrina found herself face-to-face with Clemont.

 **Author's Note: Welcome back, all of you! Please forgive me for such a long break; high school exams take the mickey out of you. This chapter was fairly self-explanatory, and, as you all have probably figured out, one of the most important, and one that was really hard to write, especially Korrina's POV, as I needed to show that she was in love with Clemont, and, most importantly, I needed to make it clear that she was in a situation that wouldn't allow her to escape without help, but I couldn't let her look like a damsel in distress.**

 **I have an Amourshipping oneshot ready that will come out a little while later, as it's 1:00am in my time right now, and I still need to fine-tune that a little more. My usual, yet just as heartfelt, thanks to all of my amazing, brilliant readers, and another one to Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava and 1 guest for reviewing. See you guys soon!**


	13. Resilience

**Here we are at Chapter 13! We'll be finishing this around the 15** **th** **to 18** **th** **chappie, so stay with me now! Here we go!**

Chapter 13: Resilience

Korrina couldn't think, couldn't move with the sheer disbelief and joy that had seized her limbs, made a smile that Clemont would later claim to remember for the rest of his life, and would proceed to do so, appear on her face. He was here. _Here._ He had escaped J, and he was here. Less than six feet away from her. He looked different, she realized. Gone was that baggy blue-and-white jumpsuit. He now wore a full-sleeved T shirt in the same colour, with the same yellow stripes, but it fit him better, with a V-neck. Over it, he wore a pair of black dungarees, with a generous amount of pockets. Korrina let her eyes rake over him, noticing how his new outfit matched his Luxray's, or how it made the blue of his eyes brighter, or how he now looked his age, rather than a little She also noticed, with growing anxiety, the cuts that decorated his collarbones and face. They were small, but there were more than she would have liked, and they looked suspiciously like they had been made by broken glass.

"H-how..?" she asked at last, after what had actually been a few seconds but had felt like a century. Meera watched the exchange between the two, and noticed the looks in both their eyes. She couldn't stop the smug smirk that drifted across her face. So her guesses about the both of them had been right. Absolutely right.

"We're gonna get you out of here. We've got help, and Cynthia and the others have gone to round up Ash, Serena, Bonnie and everyone else. But, you're okay. That's what matters the most right now," he tells her, his eyes shining with relief.

Her legs moved, closing what little gap that there had been between them, and cupped his cheek with a hand. "You're alright," Korrina breathed, her face so close to his her breath brushed his cheek. Nothing had felt more like a hug in his entire life. In any ordinary circumstance, this would've been the point where he would have blushed like fury, spluttered something awkward and backed away fast as he could, leaving the girl in question either disappointed or disgusted.

But this wasn't an ordinary situation, and Korrina was by no means an ordinary girl. "Korrina?" he whispered, and, for the first time ever, flung all his nerves and shyness to hell, forsook the safety of just backing away and following the least risky path, followed his instincts, and let his mouth land on hers.

The kiss that followed was an explosion, but it wasn't those overly zoomed-in-on, French-kiss-type scenes in movies. It was warm and sweet and quiet, and more than anything, it was an explosion of tenderness, a clear stripping of any past foreboding and laying what was in both their hearts out for the whole world to see, better and clearer than any words possible.

Meera watched, smiling. She should've been disgusted, but it was oddly warming to see. She turned her head to the window, watching as two cocky Team Starr sentinels chat with one another. Man, they thought they were unbeatable. She smirked. They were gonna be proved wrong soon. Very soon.

"Meera, are you all right?" came a voice from behind. She turned around and saw a pair of blue eyes a few shades darker than her own staring concernedly at her. The strawberry-blonde grinned.

"Yep!"

Astrid was bearing the sitch surprisingly well for someone whose sister had just betrayed her. A few sobs later, she lifted her head, swiped at her tears, and grinned.

"We've got Pokemon to save," she said briskly, rising to her feet and staring at her flabbergasted friends. Sensing their doubts, Astrid sighed.

"The only thing that's going to help me beat this is if we can prove my sister and her empty words wrong," she explains, her violet eyes boring into theirs, trying to make them understand. "She made her choice. And anyone who goes around injuring innocent Pokemon on purpose is no sister of mine," Astrid declares, though Lucas could see the pain in her eyes. She was merely putting on a façade for the time being. But he knew that beating her sister was the only way that she was going to come to terms with what just happened.

Suddenly, Pikachu pricked its ears, hearing the steady patter of running feet on the cobbled footpath. Ash tensed, while Braixen held its stick out in front of it. Zorua bared its teeth and lifted its hackles. Just as they were about to fire their attacks, Ash's shout split the air.

"No, stop, it's Bonnie!" he warned as the young blonde exploded into the clearing, gasping for breath.

"Bonnie!" Serena exclaimed, her tone chastising. "What are you doing here, you were supposed to be in the helicopter!" she finished, her eyes worrying as they scanned the young girl, taking in her knit brows and the marked fear in her blue eyes.

"I'm sorry! I knew I was supposed to stay inside, but then I saw a fire and I ran over to see what had happened, but by the time I got there the fire was gone and Team Starr was everywhere and Korrina and Meera were trapped inside!" she gasped, her face flushed.

"WHAT! How?" Lucas demanded, staring in utter horror at Bonnie. His precious sister… If those bastards laid one iota of skin on her, they were done for. He knew that Meera was more than capable of defending herself. It didn't reduce his worry much, though.

"Bonnie, are you sure?" Ash asks, his own face pale with fear.

Bonnie never got the chance to answer the question that was asked of her, as someone else did.

Cynthia padded up behind Bonnie, her grey eyes grim, followed by Diantha, May and a rather handsome green-eyes trainer Lucas didn't know.

"Yes, they have. And now we get them out."

Meera had been listening to Clemont's plan. It was risky, but there was a good chance of it working.

"We need to free these Pokemon," Clemont murmured as his eyes scanned the room. He knew that it was going to be difficult, because they were all either old or sick. But this was something they had planned in advance. The tracker fixed onto one of his dungaree buttons glinted reassuringly.

"Let me guess. The future is now thanks to science?" Korrina asked, smiling wryly.

"No, not really. We need to wait till sundown. We'll break them out under cover of night. Cynthia knows where we are right now, so we should be fine. We'll need to move quickly, though, as the plan we devised will only work for 30 minutes, at the most," Clemont explained.

"Then let's do it," Korrina said, as the sun set over the sea.

 **Author's Note: Phew! I finally, finally got to write Clemont and Korrina's reunion, and I enjoyed it! I hope you guys did too. Also, this chapter's title is dedicated to Astrid. The next chapter is gonna have some real fireworks, so you guys had better be excited! With that said, there's really nothing much else to say, because I'm so wonderful with words (haha). My biggest thanks to all you amazing readers, and another huge one to Amourshiper35, Strawhat Quilava and 2 guests for reviewing. See you guys on Friday!**

 **Review and keep smiling,**

 **Leaflame.**


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